Dolly for enabling a single operator to move a work table



Oct. 1, 1963 P. J. 'BONARRIGO ETAL 3,105,693 DOLLY FOR ENABLING A SINGLE OPERATOR TO MOVE A WORK TABLE Filed Feb. 25, 1961 United States Patent() 3,105,698 D-SLLY FOR ENABLING A SINGLE OFERATGR TO MGVE A WGRK TABLE.

Paul J. Bonarrigo, Dunmore, and Martin J. Ginsburg,

Scranton, Pat, assignors to Pennsylvania Sewing Research Corp, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 23, 1961, Ser. No. 91,262 2 Claims. (Ci. 280-4713) This invention is an improved dolly or conveying roller truck designed primarily for enabling the movement of a work table by a single operator.

Heretofore, two operators have been required to move a work table or stand from one location to another. Where the work table supports a machine, such as a sewing machine, it has been the custom for two men to lift the work table from opposite ends and carry the same by hand, or to place the table on a four-wheel truck, in order to change the location of the table on a factory floor.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved dolly of simple mechanical construction by means of which a single operator is able to easily maneuver a work table and to move it single handed from one location to another with relatively little effort.

A feature of the improved dolly of the invention is a low-slung platform which provides a low center of gravity for the dolly and enhances the stability thereof. A further feature is the arrangement of walls on the platform which provides for easy and quick positioning thereon of a table to be moved.

A detailed description of the invention follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a front view of an improved dolly of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the dolly of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of the dolly of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 shows the manner in which a single operator can use the dolly to move a work table;

FIGURE 5 shows a dolly similar to that of FIGURES 1 to 4 provided with slots in the back wall of the dolly and no front wall; and

FIGURE 6 is a broken away elevational view of a dolly similar to that of FIGURES 1 to 4 provided with slots in the back Wall of the dolly.

Throughout the figures of the drawing, the same parts are represented by the same reference numerals.

The improved dolly of the invention comprises a rotatable metallic platform or bed 1 for supporting one end of the table to be transported or conveyed. The platform or bed 1 comprises a fiat bottom metallic rectangular plate 2, two end supporting metallic walls or brackets 3 and 3a, a metallic back wall 4, and a short front wall 12 all joined together as a single integral unit. The front of the platform is, except for the short front wall 12, relatively open to permit the table bottom, or the legs thereof, to be placed easily onto the bottom plate 2 in the manner shown in FIGURE 4. The walls of the platform rise from the edges of the plate 2 and may be secured to one another and to the plate 2 in any suitable manner, as by welding. The end walls or brackets 3 and 3a are supported on equal-size wheels 6, 6 through shafts 5, 5 and suitable bearings, such as journals, in a manner well known in the art. The platform 1 can rotate when there is no object supported thereon, and it is rigidly spaced from the wheels 6, 6 by the shafts 5, 5 to prevent side shifting of the platform relative to the wheels in the operation of the dolly. The wheels 6, 6 are shown as including solid rubber tires 7, 7. The bottom rectangular plate 2 is positioned symmetrically relative to "Ice the wheels as shown in FIGURE 2, and the width of the plate is such that the platform 1 is always raised above the floor on which the wheels '6, 6 rest.

An important feature of the invention is the platform construction which provides a low center of gravity and a high degree of stability for the dolly during operation. To this end, the brackets 3 and 3a are each mounted at their respective upper parts to the shafts 5, 5 which pass through the center of the wheels 6, 6. The weight of the platform or bed 1 consequently is well below a common axis which passes through the centers of both wheels 6, 6.

The back wall 4 is shown cutaway slightly at the center thereof in order to reduce the weight of the dolly.

FIGURE 4 shows an operator using the dolly of the invention to carry a work table 8. The operator has lifted one end of the table 8 and has pushed the bed 1 of the dolly under the legs 9 and 9a of the table 8. The higher back wall 4 serves as a stop for this purpose. The legs 9 and 9a at one end of the table 8 are lowered on the upper surface of the bottom plate 2 of the platform or bed between the short front wall 12 and the higher back wall 4. Then, the table 8 is lifted at its other end by the operator, and can be pushed while on the dolly 1 to the location where the table 8 is to be deposited. It will be noted that the legs 9 and 9a rest on the plate 2 at positions relatively close to the brackets 3 and 8a. When the legs are so positioned on the plate, the plate 2 can carry greater loads and stand greater impact than when the legs are close to the midpoint between the brackets 3 and 3a.

FIGURE 5 shows a modification of the dolly of FIG- URES 1 to 4, in the provision of spaced slots 10, 10 in the back wall 4 of the platform at locations near the bottom rectangular plate 2. If the two legs of the work table at one end have the bottom portions thereof equipped with flanges extending in a direction parallel to the length of the table, these flanges may be caused to enter into the spaced slots 10, 1t} and seat firmly upon the platform, thereby preventing the work table from shifting on the platform while it is being conveyed on the dolly. The

embodiment of FIGURE 5 also omits the short front wall 12 shown in the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 4. A short front wall is optional in the various embodiments of the invention.

FIGURE 6 shows a modification of the dolly of FIG- URES 1 to 4 (viewed as in FIGURE 1) by providing spaced slots 10, 10 in the back wall and near the upper surface of the bottom rectangular plate 2. This modification is similar to that of FIGURE 5 except that a short front wall 12 is included.

What is claimed is:

1. A dolly comprising a platform having a bottom rectangular plate on which the object to be conveyed is adapted to rest, a back wall, a front wall, and two end walls rising from said bottom plate and all'consn'ucted as a single unit, said back wall having space-d slots therein at locations near the upper surface of said bottom plate, a pair of equal-size wheels on opposite sides of said platform, and means for mounting said platform on said wheels, said means including a pair of journals positioned in the same straight line extending outwardly from said platform and joining the upper portions of said end walls and the centers of said wheels, whereby said platform is rotatable in the absence of an object being supported thereon and said bottom plate is normally below a line joining the centers of said wheels, the length of said platform as measured between said end walls being appreciably greater than the width thereof as measured in a direction at right angles to said length, said width being shorter than the diameter of said wheels, said front Wall being substantially lower than said back wall; whereby, when said object is raised, said dolly may be pushed under said object so that said front wall passed under said object and said dolly is stopped when said back wall contacts said object, and then said object may be lowered upon said plate.

2. A two wheel dolly for facilitating the manual moving of a work table on a factory floor comprising a solid rectangular plate substantially longer than it is wide and adapted to receive two legs of said work table, and being normally in a substantially horizontal position, a pair of opposite end walls each rising from said plate at the edge thereof along the width thereof, a pair of journals, each journal attached to and extending outwardly from one of said end walls on a common axis substantially parallel to and above said plate; a pair of equal-size heels, each wheel having a diameter greater than the width of said plate; means for rotatably mounting each of said Wheels upon one of said journals in rigidly spaced positions; a

back wall rising from said plate at the edge thereof along the entire length thereof and: joining said end walls, and a front wall rising from said plate at the edge thereof along the entire width thereof, said back wall being sub- 1 legs, and then said legs may be lowered upon said plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent" UNITED STATES PATENTS Bartlett Oct. 14, 1952 Klipp Jan. 13, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland June 27, 1894 

1. A DOLLY COMPRISING A PLATFORM HAVING A BOTTOM RECTANGULAR PLATE ON WHICH THE OBJECT TO BE CONVEYED IS ADAPTED TO REST, A BACK WALL, A FRONT WALL, AND TWO END WALLS RISING FROM SAID BOTTOM PLATE AND ALL CONSTRUCTED AS A SINGLE UNIT, SAID BACK WALL HAVING SPACED SLOTS THEREIN AT LOCATIONS NEAR THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BOTTOM PLATE, A PAIR OF EQUAL-SIZE WHEELS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PLATFORM, AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID PLATFORM ON SAID WHEELS, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF JOURNALS POSITIONED IN THE SAME STRAIGHT LINE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID PLATFORM AND JOINING THE UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID END WALLS AND THE CENTERS OF SAID WHEELS, WHEREBY SAID PLATFORM IS ROTATABLE IN THE ABSENCE OF AN OBJECT BEING SUPPORTED THEREON AND SAID BOTTOM PLATE IS NORMALLY BELOW A LINE JOINING THE CENTERS OF SAID WHEELS, THE LENGTH OF SAID PLATFORM AS MEASURED BETWEEN SAID END WALLS BEING AP- 